Battery module, battery temperature managing system and vehicle comprising the same

ABSTRACT

A battery module and a battery temperature managing system of a battery temperature managing system includes a battery module; a heat exchanger connected with the battery module via a coolant circulating circuit, and a temperature control device connected with the heat exchanger via a refrigerant circulating circuit, in which a coolant in the coolant circulating circuit and a refrigerant in the refrigerant circulating circuit exchange heat with each other via the heat exchanger, and the battery module is cooled or heated by the coolant when the coolant flows through the battery module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/900,313 filed May 22, 2013, which claims the priority to and benefitof the following applications:

-   -   1) International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2011/084859 filed        Dec. 28, 2011.    -   2) Chinese Patent Application No. 2010-20691717.2 filed with the        State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of        China (SIPO) on Dec. 29, 2010; and    -   3) Chinese Patent Application No. 2010-20697948.4 filed with the        State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of        China (SIPO) on Dec. 31, 2010.

All above patent applications are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to the field of power battery, moreparticularly to a battery module, a battery temperature managing system,and a vehicle comprising the same.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section provide background information related tothe present disclosure and do not constitute prior art.

With the exhaustion of the global energy resources and the growingemphasis on environmental protection, electrical vehicles (EV) andhybrid electrical vehicles (HEV) have drawn much attention due to theadvantages such as low exhaust emissions and low energy consumption etc.In recent years, more and more companies and research institutes havesuccessively invested in the researching as well as marketing in EV andHEV. It has been found that during the researching of electricalvehicles and hybrid electrical vehicles, the power battery technology isone of the key elements that may restrict the development of the newenergy vehicles.

In EV, HEV or similar vehicles, a lithium ion battery with high powermay normally be used as a power battery to satisfy high outputrequirements. As the power battery in the vehicle has a higherdischarging rate, the lithium ion battery may produce a large amount ofheat in the rapid discharging process. When the temperature isincreased, the lithium ion battery may run in a severely uneven state,thus directly affecting the battery life span and producing seriouspotential safety hazard. Therefore, to ensure that the lithium ionbattery runs in a favorable temperature condition, excellent heatdissipation for the lithium ion battery is needed.

Moreover, because, as an energy storage device, the power battery playsa critical role in EV, HEV or similar vehicles, the performance of thepower battery greatly affects the performance of the whole vehicle. Thepower battery is normally formed by a plurality of single cellsconnected in serials, in parallel, or in serials and parallel.Currently, single cells may not work normally at low temperature, e.g.,a temperature lower than −20° C. or high temperature e.g., a temperaturehigher than 45° C., and thus the vehicle using the power battery may notwork normally.

SUMMARY

In viewing thereof, embodiments of the present disclosure are directedto solve at least one of the problems existing in the prior art.Therefore, a battery temperature managing system may need to beprovided, which may cool or heat a battery module uniformly to ensurethat the battery module works normally. Further, a battery module mayalso need to be provided, which may be cooled or heated uniformly andhave temperature consistency therein. Furthermore, a vehicle comprisingthe same may need to be provided.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a battery temperaturemanaging system may be provided. The battery temperature managing systemmay include: a battery module; a heat exchanger connected to the batterymodule via a coolant circulating circuit; and a temperature controldevice connected to the heat exchanger via a refrigerant circulatingcircuit, in which a coolant in the coolant circulating circuit and arefrigerant in the refrigerant circulating circuit exchange heat witheach other via the heat exchanger, and the battery module is cooled orheated by the coolant when the coolant flows through the battery module.

With the battery temperature managing system according to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the coolant rather than the air is used as amedium for cooling or heating the battery module, thus the batterymodule is cooled or heated more effectively. Moreover, because thecoolant may flow circularly, compared with the heat exchange via air,the battery module may be efficiently cooled or heated, so that thebattery module may always work in a normal state with a consistenttemperature therein.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery modulemay be provided. The battery module may comprise: a lower shell bodyhaving a cooling plate and a plurality of separator plates provided onthe cooling plate at intervals; and an upper cover hermeticallyconnected with tops of the plurality of the separator plates; a frontcover plate and a back cover plate hermetically connected with frontmost sides and backmost sides of the plurality of the separator platesrespectively, in which the cooling plate, the upper cover, the frontcover plate, the back cover plate and the plurality of separator platesare hermetically connected to form a plurality of separate sealingspaces for receiving battery cores and electrolytes thereinrespectively, in which main flow channels are formed inside the uppercover and the cooling plate respectively, and branch flow channels areformed inside the separator plates respectively which are in fluidcommunication with the main flow channels.

With the battery module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the cooling plate, the upper cover, the front cover plate,the back cover plate and the plurality of separator plates arehermetically connected to form a plurality of separate sealing spacesfor receiving battery cores and electrolytes therein respectively; andmain flow channels are formed inside the upper cover and the coolingplate, and branch flow channels are formed inside the separator platesrespectively which are in fluid communication with the main flowchannels. Therefore, the coolant flowing into the main flow channel mayflow into the branch flow channels respectively and then flow into themain flow channel, thus the battery cores and electrolytes in theplurality of separate sealing spaces may be cooled or heated effectivelyand uniformly. Thus, the temperature consistency inside the batterymodule may be ensured.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehiclecomprising the battery temperature managing system may also be provided.

Additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be given in part in the following descriptions, becomeapparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from thepractice of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will becomeapparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery temperature managing systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a control principle diagram of a battery temperature managingsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a battery module according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower shell body in a battery moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an upper cover in a battery moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a battery module according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that thedisclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential character thereof. The presently disclosedembodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrativeand not restrictive. The same or similar elements and the elementshaving same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numeralsthroughout the descriptions.

In the following, a battery temperature managing system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described below withreference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the battery temperature managing system according toan embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a battery module 1,a heat exchanger 21 and a temperature control device 3 having coolingfunction and, optionally, having heating function. In some embodiment,the battery temperature system may be provided in a vehicle (not shown)having both a battery module and an air conditioning system. Andalternatively, an air conditioning system of the vehicle may be used asthe temperature control device 3.

In one embodiment, the temperature control device 3 having only coolingfunction is exemplarily illustrated. However, it should be noted thatthe temperature control device 3 may also be configured with heatingfunction, which may be used for heating the battery module. Further, thetemperature control device 3 may be configured with heat and coolingfunction as condition may require. As shown in FIG. 1, the heatexchanger 21 is connected with the battery module 1 via a coolantcirculating circuit 22, and the temperature control device 3 isconnected with the heat exchanger 21 via a refrigerant circulatingcircuit 23. A coolant in the coolant circulating circuit 22 flowsthrough the battery module 1 and the heat exchanger 21, and the batterymodule 1 is cooled by the coolant when the coolant flows through thebattery module 1. A refrigerant in the refrigerant circulating circuit23 flows through the temperature control device 3 and the heat exchanger21, and is cooled when flowing through the temperature control device 3.The coolant in the coolant circulating circuit 22 and the refrigerant inthe refrigerant circulating circuit 23 exchange heat with each other viathe heat exchanger 21. Therefore, after flowing through the batterymodule 1 and cooling the battery module 1, the coolant flows through theheat exchanger 21 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant via the heatexchanger 21 to become a cooled coolant, and then the cooled coolantflows through the battery module 1 again to repeatedly cool the batterymodule 1.

In some embodiment, the temperature control device 3 may be aconventional in-vehicle temperature control device having coolingfunction in the vehicle, thus effectively utilizing in-situ devices inthe vehicle. Moreover, an in-vehicle air conditioner has excellentrefrigerating effect, thus effectively enhancing the refrigeratingefficiency of the power battery. In one embodiment, the temperaturecontrol device 3 may be an air conditioning system comprising anevaporator 33, a compressor 32, and a condenser 31 connected with thecompressor 32. A condenser fan 311 may be provided on the condenser 31for accelerating heat dissipation. The condenser 31 has a refrigerantinlet 312 and a refrigerant outlet 313 which are connected with therefrigerant circulating circuit 23 respectively. The refrigerant in therefrigerant circulating circuit 23 flows through the heat exchanger 21and exchanges heat with the coolant to become a high temperaturerefrigerant, the high temperature refrigerant flows into the condenser31 via the refrigerant inlet 312 and becomes a low temperaturerefrigerant after heat dissipation, and then the low temperaturerefrigerant flows back into the heat exchanger 21. The compressor 32 isprovided in the refrigerant circulating circuit 23 which is in fluidcommunication with the condenser 31. The compressor 32 is configured tobe turned on/off for allowing or preventing the refrigerant to flowthrough or from flowing through the condenser 31 and the heat exchanger21. The compressor 32 may be electrically powered, and may allow therefrigerant to flow circularly in addition to adjustment of the flowvelocity of the refrigerant when the compressor 32 is turned on. Agaseous refrigerant may be compressed by the compressor 32 to become aliquid refrigerant with high-temperature and high-pressure, and then theliquid refrigerant may flow into the condenser 31 from the compressor 32to become a liquid refrigerant with normal-temperature and high-pressureafter heat dissipation. The members of the temperature control device 3,the arrangements and the function thereof are well known in the art, sodetailed descriptions thereof are omitted here for clarity purpose.

A circulating pump 221 may be provided in the coolant circulatingcircuit 22, which may be turned on/off for allowing or preventing thecoolant to flow through or from flowing through the battery module 1 andthe heat exchanger 21. The circulating pump 221 may be used for pumpingthe coolant in the coolant circulating circuit 22 and allowing thecoolant to flow through the battery module 1 and the heat exchanger 21circularly. When the coolant flows into the battery module 1, thecoolant may take away the heat produced inside the battery module 1 tobecome a heated coolant, the heated coolant flows into the heatexchanger 21 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerantcirculating circuit 23 to become a cooled coolant, and then the cooledcoolant flows back into the battery module 1, thus effectively coolingthe battery module 1. The circulating pump 221 may be driven by electricpower and may adjust the flow velocity of the coolant when thecirculating pump 221 is turned on.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery temperature managingsystem further includes a control unit 41 to turn on/off the compressor32 and the circulating pump 221 based on a temperature signal from thebattery module 1. In one embodiment, the control unit 41 is furtherconfigured to turn on/off the condenser fan 311.

The refrigerant circulating circuit 23 may include a first branch 231,or an evaporator branch, and a second branch 232. The evaporator 33 isdisposed in the first branch 231 for cooling a cabin of the vehicle, andthe heat exchanger 21 is disposed in the second branch 232 forexchanging heat between the refrigerant and the coolant. The firstbranch 231 may be further provided with an evaporator controller (notshown) for controlling the flow of the refrigerant through theevaporator 31. And the refrigerant circulating circuit 23 is furtherprovided with an electromagnetic valve 34 to control the flow of therefrigerant through the heat exchanger 21, and the control unit 41 maybe configured to control the evaporator controller and theelectromagnetic valve 34 to switch on/off.

In one embodiment, the control unit 41 includes: a first temperaturesensor 43 disposed at a coolant input of the battery module 1 forproviding an input coolant temperature signal to the control unit 41;and a second temperature sensor 44 disposed at a coolant output of thebattery module 1 for providing an output coolant temperature signal tothe control unit 41. The control unit 41 may be implemented as aconventional battery management system (BMS) in an EV or HEV formonitoring the state of the battery module 1. The control unit 41 may beelectrically connected with the circulating pump 221, the compressor 23,the electromagnetic valve 34 and the condenser fan 311 respectively.When the temperature of the battery module 1 is greater than a firstpredetermined value, the control unit 41 outputs a command to turn onthe circulating pump 221 and the temperature control device 3.

The electromagnetic valve 34 may be disposed in the second branch 232for allowing the refrigerant to flow through the heat exchanger 21 orpreventing the refrigerant from flowing through the heat exchanger 21.When the battery module 1 does not need to be cooled, theelectromagnetic valve 34 is switched off. The evaporator controller maybe disposed in the first branch 231 for allowing the refrigerant to flowthrough the evaporator 31 or preventing the refrigerant from flowingthrough the evaporator 31. When the cabin of the vehicle does not needto be cooled, the evaporator controller is switched off.

In one embodiment, the heat exchanger 21 is a refrigerant-coolant heatexchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the coolant soas to cool or heat the battery module 1. In one embodiment, as shown inthe FIG. 1, the coolant circulating circuit 22 is shown by a dashedline, the refrigerant circulating circuit 23 is shown by a solid line,and the flowing directions of the coolant and the refrigerant are shownby arrows. It should be noted that there are no special limitations onthe flowing directions of the coolant and the refrigerant, provided thatthe coolant and the refrigerant flow circularly. The coolant circulatingcircuit 22 and the refrigerant circulating circuit 23 are separatelydisposed but are not communicated with each other, and the coolantcirculating circuit 22 and the refrigerant circulating circuit 23exchange heat with each other via the heat exchanger 21. The coolantcirculating circuit 22 is connected with the heat exchanger 21 forproviding the coolant flowing through the heat exchanger 21 and guidingthe coolant in flowing through the battery module 1. The second branch232 of the refrigerant circulating circuit 23 is connected with the heatexchanger 21 for providing the refrigerant flowing through the heatexchanger 21 and guiding the refrigerant in flowing through thecondenser 31.

The heat exchanger 21 may be a heat exchanger having heat exchangefunction well known to those skilled in the art. The coolant may be aconventional coolant, for example, water, ethylene glycol, or acombination thereof, or may be a special coolant containing a particularinhibitor. It should be noted that the coolant may be any liquid coolanthaving suitable heat transferability. The refrigerant may be anyconventional refrigerant used in the air conditioning system of thevehicle, for example, Freon.

In order to avoid the fact that the EV or HEV does not work because thebattery module 1 does not work normally at an extreme low temperature,e.g., a temperature lower than −20° C., a heating device may be neededfor heating the battery module 1. In one embodiment, the temperaturecontrol device 3 has only cooling function, the battery temperaturemanaging system may further include a heating device 5 disposed in theheat exchanger 21, the coolant in the coolant circulating circuit 22flows through the heating device 5 to be heated, and the control unit 41is electrically connected with the heating device 5 for controlling theheating device 5 to turn on/off. The heating device 5 may include aheating wire or a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heating plate.

In some embodiment, the battery module 1 may be any power battery modulehaving cooling channels for driving the EV or HEV vehicle.

Particularly, the battery module 1 may store enough energy for drivingthe vehicle by electric power.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3-6, the battery module 1 includes:a lower shell body 11 having a cooling plate 110 and a plurality ofseparator plates 111 provided on the cooling plate 110 at intervals; andan upper cover 12 hermetically connected with tops of the plurality ofthe separator plates 111; a front cover plate 13 and a back cover plate14 hermetically connected with front most sides and backmost sides ofthe plurality of the separator plates 111 respectively, in which thecooling plate 110, the upper cover 12, the front cover plate 13, theback cover plate 14 and the plurality of separator plates 111 arehermetically connected to form a plurality of separate sealing spaces113 for receiving battery cores and electrolytes (not shown) thereinrespectively, in which main flow channels 1101, 121 are formed insidethe upper cover 12 and the cooling plate 110, and branch flow channels1111 are formed inside the separator plates 111 respectively which arein fluid communication with the main flow channels 1101, 121. Therefore,the coolant flowing into the main flow channel 121 may flow into thebranch flow channels 1111 respectively and then flow into the main flowchannel 1101, thus cooling or heating the battery cores and electrolytesin the plurality of separate sealing spaces 113 effectively anduniformly. Thus, the temperature consistency of the battery module 1 maybe ensured.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower shell body 11 includes the cooling plate110 and a plurality of separator plates 111 provided on the coolingplate 110 at intervals; a space 112 is formed between two adjacentseparator plates 111; and the cooling plate 110, the upper cover 12, thefront cover plate 13, the back cover plate 14 and the plurality ofseparator plates 111 are hermetically connected to form a plurality ofseparate sealing spaces 113. As shown in FIG. 4, the separator plates111 may be perpendicularly provided on the cooling plate 110 for easyassembly. In one embodiment, the cooling plate 110 and the plurality ofseparator plates 111 are integrally formed, thus facilitating themachining and the assembling of the cooling plate 110, the plurality ofseparator plates 111, etc. In another embodiment, the plurality ofseparator plates 111 may be formed separately.

In one embodiment, the plurality of separator plates 111 includes: afirst outer plate 111 and a second outer plate 111 provided at theoutmost sides of the cooling plate 110; and at least an intermediateplate 111 between the first and second outer plates 111, in which theouter plates 111 have a thickness larger than that of the intermediateplate 111. Therefore, the entire strength of the battery module 1 may beenhanced. As shown in FIG. 4, in one embodiment, the cooling plate 110includes seven separator plates 111 forming six spaces 112, the sixspaces 112 may be sealed to form six separate sealing spaces 113accordingly, and two outer separator plates 111 are thicker than fiveintermediate plates 111.

The upper cover 12 is hermetically connected with tops of the pluralityof the separator plates 111. To ensure reliable connection between theupper cover 12 and the plurality of the separator plates 111, in oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, grooves 119 are formed in the separatorplates 111, and the upper cover 12 is formed with projections (notshown) to be mated with the grooves 119. By the connection of thegrooves 119 with the projections between the upper cover 12 and theplurality of the separator plates 111, the upper cover 12 and theplurality of the separator plates 111 may be stably connected. Inanother embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper cover 12 may be formedwith grooves 123, and the separator plates 111 may be formed withprojections (not shown) to be mated with the grooves 123, so that theupper cover 12 and the plurality of the separator plates 111 may bestably connected.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, in one embodiment, the cooling plate 110 includesa main outlet channel 1101 with a coolant outlet 115 formed at an end ofthe main outlet channel 1101, the upper cover 12 includes a main inletchannel 121 and a coolant inlet 125 at a side of the main inlet channel121 facing away from the end of the coolant outlet 115, each separatorplate 111 includes a branch flow channel 1111 connected with the maininlet channel 121 and the main outlet channel 1101, and the coolantinlet 125 and the coolant outlet 115 are connected with the coolantcirculating circuit 22 respectively. Therefore, the circulation of thecoolant may be facilitated. In one embodiment, the cross sectional areaof the coolant inlet 125 is smaller than that of the coolant outlet 115by about 10%-20%. When the battery temperature managing system includesa plurality of battery modules 1, adjacent battery modules 1 may beconnected by welding the coolant inlets 125 of a succeeding batterymodule with the coolant outlet 115 of a preceding battery module.Because the cross sectional area of the coolant inlet 125 is smallerthan that of the coolant outlet 115, the welding of the coolant inlets125 and the coolant outlets 115 may be easier. In another embodiment,the cooling plate 110 may include a main inlet channel 121, the uppercover 12 may include a main outlet channel 1101, and alternatively, thecross sectional area of the coolant outlet 115 may be smaller than thatof the coolant inlet 125.

In one embodiment, the coolant inlet 125 and the coolant outlet 115include ring grooves 1251, 1151 respectively. The ring grooves 1251,1151 include seal rings for ensuring the hermetical connection betweenthe battery modules 1 when adjacent battery modules 1 are connected witheach other. Therefore, the coolant may flow in the battery modules 1circularly.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, in one embodiment, the front cover plate 13is hermetically connected with front most sides of the plurality of theseparator plates 111. The back cover plate 14 is hermetically connectedwith backmost sides of the plurality of the separator plates 111. Thecooling plate 110, the upper cover 12, the front cover plate 13, theback cover plate 14 and the plurality of separator plates 111 arehermetically connected to form a plurality of separate sealing spaces113 for receiving battery cores and electrolytes therein respectively.Because the battery cores and the electrolytes may be received in theplurality of separate sealing spaces 113, no housings for receiving thesingle cells are needed, which may save materials in addition to havingcompact space. In another embodiment, the separate sealing spaces 113may be used for receiving the whole single cells having battery coresand electrolytes, which may facilitate the mounting of the single cells.

In some embodiment, there are a plurality of the front and back coverplates 13, 14 for sealing the spaces 112 respectively. As shown in FIGS.3-4, two adjacent separator plates 111 includes a pair of grooves 114for accommodating each front cover plate 13, so that each front coverplate 13 may be hermetically connected with the two adjacent separatorplates 111. Similarly, each back cover plates 14 may be disposed in thepair of grooves 114 of the two adjacent separator plates 111respectively, so that each back cover plate 14 may be hermeticallyconnected with the two adjacent separator plates 111 to form the space112. In other embodiments, the front and back cover plates 13, 14 may bea single plate respectively for sealing the front and back sides of theplurality of separator plates 111.

As shown in FIG. 3, battery cores (not shown) and electrolytes arereceived in the separate sealing spaces 113 thus formed. Each batterycore includes a pair of electrode terminals 118 extended out of thesealing space 113 and connected in series, in parallel, or in series andparallel using flexible metal plates 116, so that the battery cores maybe connected in series, in parallel, or in series and parallel. In oneembodiment, the electrode terminals 118 are sealed with and insulatedfrom the front cover plate 13.

In one embodiment, the battery module 1 further includes a front panel15 provided at a front side of the front cover plate 13 to be fixed withthe upper cover 12 and the lower shell body 11. And a back panel (notshown) may be provided at the back side of the back cover plate 14 to befixed with the upper cover 12 and the lower shell body 11, and a pair ofopenings 151, 152 are provided in the front panel 15 at the lateralsides respectively, for leading out the outmost metal plates 1161, 1162respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, six battery coresand electrolytes are received in the six separate sealing spaces 113,six electrode terminals 118 are extended from the six battery cores andconnected in series by the metal plates 116, and the outmost metalplates 1161, 1162 pass through the openings 151, 152 in the front panel15 to be connected with an external load, for example, an electricaldevice or an electric charger.

In one embodiment, the upper cover 12 and the lower shell body 11 areformed with bolt holes 122, 117 respectively at the edge portionsthereof, and the front panel 15 may be formed with bolt holes 153corresponding to the bolt holes 122, 117 respectively. Therefore, boltsmay be used for fixing the front panel 15 with the upper cover 12 andthe lower shell body 11. Similarly, the back panel may be fixed with theupper cover 12 and the lower shell body 11 via bolts.

In some embodiment, the front cover plate 13, the back cover plate 14,the upper cover 12, and the lower shell body 11 may be made of materialsthat are thermally conductive, thus transferring heat between thecoolant and the electrolyte effectively. In one embodiment, the uppercover 12 and the lower shell body 11 may be made of a material havingcertain strength, for example, aluminum alloy. The upper cover 12 andthe lower shell body 11 may be formed by metal drawing, and then thechannels may be formed in the upper cover 12 and the lower shell body 11by machining, and finally the front cover plate 13 and the back coverplate 14 may be connected with the lower shell body 11 and the uppercover 12 respectively by welding, for example, soldering or laserwelding. The front panel 15 and the back panel may play the role ofsupporting and sealing, but they may not need to transfer heat, whichmay be made of plastics such as poly (phenylene oxide) (PPO) byinjection molding.

As shown in FIG. 6, the coolant may flow into the battery module 1 fromthe coolant inlet 125 in the upper cover 12, into the branch flowchannels 1111 from the main inlet channel 121, and then into the mainoutlet channel 1101, and finally out of the battery module 1 from thecoolant outlet 115. The separate sealing spaces 113 having battery coreand electrolytes are formed between the branch flow channels 1111, andthus the battery cores and electrolytes in the sealing spaces 113 may becooled or heated uniformly. Therefore, the temperature consistency ofmembers of the battery module 1 may be ensured, and heat may betransferred quickly.

In some embodiment, the main inlet channel 121 and the main outletchannel 1101 have a section area larger than that of the branch flowchannels 1111. In one embodiment, the sectional area of the main inletchannel 121 and the main outlet channel 1101 may be about 0.5 times to 2times as large as the total sectional area of the branch flow channels1111. As shown in FIG. 6, the section area of the main inlet channel 121and the main outlet channel 1101 may be 2 times as large as the totalsectional area of seven branch flow channels 1111.

In some embodiment, the dimensions of the branch flow channels 1111 areidentical with each other, so that the flow of the coolant through thebranch flow channels 1111 may be identical and the electrolytes in thesealing spaces 113 may be cooled or heated uniformly. In one embodiment,the width of the branch flow channels 1111 may be no less than 2 mm,thus avoiding the generation of large flowing resistance.

With the battery module according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the cooling plate 110, the upper cover 12, the front coverplate 13, the back cover plate 14 and the plurality of separator plates111 are hermetically connected to form a plurality of separate sealingspaces 113 for receiving battery cores and electrolytes thereinrespectively; and main flow channels 1101, 121 are formed inside theupper cover 12 and the cooling plate 110, and the branch flow channels1111 are formed inside the separator plates 111 respectively which arein fluid communication with the main flow channels 1101, 121. Therefore,the coolant flowing into the main flow channel 121 may flow into thebranch flow channels 1111 respectively and then flow into the main flowchannel 1101, thus cooling or heating the battery cores and electrolytesin the plurality of separate sealing spaces 113 effectively anduniformly. Thus, the temperature consistency of the battery module 1 maybe ensured.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, heat in thecoolant in the branch flow channels 1111 may be transferred to theelectrolytes through the separator plates 111, so that the contactthermal resistance may be small. Moreover, because the plurality ofseparator plates 111 are provided to form a plurality of separatesealing spaces 113 for receiving battery cores and electrolytes thereinrespectively and the branch flow channels 1111 are formed inside theseparator plates 111 respectively, the heat transfer contact area may belarge, and the heat transfer efficiency may be high, thus ensuring thetemperature consistency of the battery module 1. Furthermore, becausethe coolant in the battery module 1 may be recycled and the flowvelocity of the coolant may be adjusted using a battery temperaturemanaging system as described hereinabove, the energy consumption may bereduced, and the noise may be lowered. In addition, because batterycores and electrolytes may be received in the plurality of separatesealing spaces 113 but no housings for the single cells are received inthe plurality of separate sealing spaces 113, a housing for receivingthe conventional battery module and a housing conventionally used forreceiving the single cell may be integrally formed, which may savematerials and space in addition to compacted structure thereof.

In some embodiment, the battery temperature managing system may becontrolled by the control unit 41 to run in a battery cooling mode, abattery heating mode, or a battery temperature averaging control mode.In the battery cooling mode, when the temperature of the battery module1 is greater than the first predetermined value, the control unit 41turns on the circulating pump 221, the electromagnetic valve 34 and thecompressor 32, and then the battery module 1 is cooled by the coolant.In the battery heating mode, when the temperature of the battery module1 is less than a second predetermined value which is less than the firstpredetermined value, the control unit 41 turns on the circulating pump221 and the heating device 5, and then the battery module 1 is heated bythe coolant. In the battery temperature averaging control mode, when thetemperature difference between the first temperature sensor 43 and thesecond temperature sensor 44 is greater than a third predeterminedvalue, the rotating speed of the circulating pump 221 is controlled bythe control unit 41 to control the flow velocity of the coolant, and/orturns on/off the electromagnetic valve 34 to reduce the temperaturedifference accordingly. The battery cooling mode, the batterytemperature averaging control mode, the condensed water avoiding modeand the battery heating mode will be described in detail in thefollowing.

Battery Cooling Mode

When the vehicle is driven by the battery module 1 during large ratedischarging, the temperature of the battery module 1 rises continuously.When the temperature of the battery module 1 is greater than the firstpredetermined value and the control unit (BMS) 41 receives a temperaturesignal from the temperature sensor 42, as shown in FIG. 2, measuring thetemperature of the battery module 1, the control unit 41 turns on thecirculating pump 221 to pump the coolant into the coolant circulatingcircuit 22, the heat in the battery module 1 is transferred to thecoolant when the coolant flows through the battery module 1, the heat inthe coolant is transferred to the refrigerant when the coolant flowsthrough the heat exchanger 21, and then the coolant flows back into thebattery module 1. At the same time, the control unit 41 turns on thecompressor 32 and the condenser fan 311 and switches on theelectromagnetic valve 34 and the evaporator controller at the same time,the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 33 and the heat exchanger21. The refrigerant absorbs the heat in the coolant when flowing throughthe heat exchanger 21, and then flows back into the condenser 31 forheat dissipation. Under the action of the condenser fan 311, the heat inthe refrigerant may be dissipated effectively so that the refrigerantmay be cooled. If the cabin of the vehicle also needs to be cooled whilethe battery module 1 needs to be cooled, the control unit 41 may switchon the electromagnetic valve 34 and the evaporator controller and turnon the compressor 32 for cooling the cabin of the vehicle and thebattery module 1 simultaneously. If only the battery module 1 needs tobe cooled but the cabin of the vehicle does not need to be cooled, theevaporator controller may be switched off.

Battery Temperature Averaging Control Mode

The consistency, especially the temperature consistency, of the singlecells is one of the most important performances of the battery module 1.If the temperature difference of the single cells is large, thehigh-temperature single cell may be aged or failed quickly.

When the temperature difference between the input coolant temperaturesignal from the first temperature sensor 43 and the output coolanttemperature signal from the second temperature sensor 44 is greater thanthe third predetermined value, the rotating speed of the circulatingpump 221 may be controlled by the control unit 41 to control the flowvelocity of the coolant, and/or turns on/off the electromagnetic valve34 to reduce the temperature difference between different single cellsrespectively.

Condensed Water Avoiding Mode

Condensed water may be generated in the battery module 1 when thetemperature difference between the battery module 1 and the coolant isgreater, thus affecting the working efficiency and the life span of thebattery module 1. To avoid the condensed water, when the temperaturedifference between the temperature signal from the temperature sensor 42and the input coolant temperature signal from the first temperaturesensor 43 is greater than a fourth predetermined value, the rotatingspeed of the compressor 32, the rotating speed of the condenser fan 311and the switching state of the electromagnetic valve 34 are controlledby the control unit 41 to control the temperature of the refrigerant toadjust the temperature of the coolant, and/or controls the heatingdevice 5 to heat the coolant to reduce the temperature differencebetween the battery module 1 and the coolant.

Battery Heating Mode

When the temperature of the battery module 1 is less than the secondpredetermined value, after receiving the temperature signal from thetemperature sensor 42, the control unit 41 turns on the circulating pump221 and the heating device 5, and then the battery module 1 is heated bythe coolant when the coolant flows through the battery module 1. Inanother embodiment, if the temperature control device 3 also has heatingfunction and no heating device 5 needs to be provided in the batterytemperature managing system, when the temperature of the battery module1 is less than the second predetermined value, the control unit 41 turnson the circulating pump 221 and the compressor 32, and then the batterymodule 1 is heated by the coolant when the coolant flows through thebattery module 1.

With the battery temperature managing system according to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the coolant rather than the air is used as amedium for cooling or heating the battery module, thus cooling orheating the battery module effectively. Moreover, because the coolantmay flow circularly, compared with the air cooling, the battery modulemay be effectively cooled, and the cooling effect may be better, so thatthe battery module may always work normally and the temperatureconsistency of the battery module may be ensured.

Furthermore, the battery temperature managing system according to anembodiment of the present disclosure is mounted in a vehicle having thebattery module and the temperature control device, and the temperaturecontrol device may be a conventional in-vehicle temperature controldevice, thus effectively utilizing the space in the vehicle. Moreover,an in-vehicle air conditioner has excellent refrigerating or heatingeffect, thus effectively enhancing the cooling and/or heating speed ofthe battery module.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, because thecontrol unit may be a battery management system (BMS) for monitoring thetemperature of the battery module, only when the temperature of thebattery module is greater than the first predetermined value, thetemperature control device may be turned on by the control unit, thuseffectively saving the energy consumption of the vehicle.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, by monitoring thetemperature difference between the temperature signal from thetemperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery moduleand the input coolant temperature signal from the first temperaturesensor, the condensed water inside the battery module caused by thelarge temperature difference between the battery module and the coolantmay be avoided, and the temperature consistency of the battery moduleand the accurate control on the temperature of the battery module may beensured, thus prolonging the life span of the battery moduleeffectively.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when thetemperature control device has only cooling function, the batterytemperature managing system may be further provided with a heatingdevice in the heat exchanger for heating the coolant when the coolantflows through the heating device, so that the battery module may beeffectively heated. Thus, the battery module may work normally in anextreme cold environment, and temperature consistency inside the batterymodule may also be ensured.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehiclecomprising the abovementioned battery temperature managing system mayalso be provided.

Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it wouldbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, alternatives,and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing fromspirit and principles of the disclosure. Such changes, alternatives, andmodifications all fall into the scope of the claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery temperature managing system,comprising: a battery module; a heat exchanger connected with thebattery module by a coolant circulating circuit; and a temperaturecontrol device connected with the heat exchanger by a refrigerantcirculating circuit, wherein a coolant in the coolant circulatingcircuit and a refrigerant in the refrigerant circulating circuitexchange heat with each other through the heat exchanger, and whereinthe battery module is cooled or heated by the coolant when the coolantflows through the battery module.
 2. The battery temperature managingsystem of claim 1, wherein: the temperature control device is an airconditioning system comprising a compressor, and a condenser connectedwith a compressor, wherein the compressor is disposed in the refrigerantcirculating circuit, which is in fluid communication with the condenser;the compressor is configured to be turned on or off to permit therefrigerant to flow through or prevent the refrigerant from flowingthrough the condenser and the heat exchanger; and a circulating pump isdisposed in the coolant circulating circuit configured to be turned onor off to permit the coolant to flow through or prevent the coolant fromflowing through the battery module and the heat exchanger.
 3. Thebattery temperature managing system of claim 1, further comprising: acontrol unit configured to turn on and off the compressor and thecirculating pump based on a temperature signal from the battery module.4. The battery temperature managing system of claim 3, wherein therefrigerant circulating circuit comprises: an evaporator branch providedwith an evaporator and an evaporator controller, configured to control aflow of the refrigerant through the evaporator, and wherein therefrigerant circulating circuit includes an electromagnetic valveconfigured to control the flow of the refrigerant through the heatexchanger, and the control unit is configured to control the evaporatorcontroller and the electromagnetic valve to switch on or off.
 5. Thebattery temperature managing system of claim 4, wherein a condenser fanis provided on the condenser, and the control unit is configured to turnon or off the condenser fan.
 6. The battery temperature managing systemof claim 3, wherein the control unit comprises: a first temperaturesensor disposed at a coolant input of the battery module for providingan input coolant temperature signal to the control unit; and a secondtemperature sensor disposed at a coolant output of the battery modulefor providing an output coolant temperature signal to the control unit.7. The battery temperature managing system of claim 6, wherein thetemperature control device has only a cooling function; the batterytemperature managing system further comprises a heating device disposedin the heat exchanger; the coolant in the coolant circulating circuitflows through the heating device; and the control unit is electricallyconnected with the heating device and is configured to control theheating device to turn on or off.
 8. The battery temperature managingsystem of claim 7, wherein the battery temperature managing system iscontrolled by the control unit to function in a battery cooling mode, abattery heating mode, or a battery temperature averaging control mode.9. The battery temperature managing system of claim 8, wherein in thebattery cooling mode, when the temperature of the battery module isgreater than a first predetermined value, the control unit turns on thecirculating pump, the electromagnetic valve, and the compressor, andthen the battery module is cooled by the coolant.
 10. The batterytemperature managing system of claim 8, wherein in the battery heatingmode, when the temperature of the battery module is less than a secondpredetermined value, the control unit turns on the circulating pump andthe heating device, and then the battery module is heated by thecoolant.
 11. The battery temperature managing system of claim 8, whereinin the battery temperature averaging control mode: when the temperaturedifference between a temperature signal from the first temperaturesensor and a temperature signal from the second temperature sensor isgreater than a third predetermined value, the control unit controls therotating speed of the circulating pump to control the flow velocity ofthe coolant, and turns on or off the electromagnetic valve to reduce thetemperature difference.
 12. The battery temperature managing system ofclaim 7, wherein the heating device includes a heating wire or a PTCheating board.
 13. The battery temperature managing system of claim 1,wherein the battery module comprises: a lower shell body having acooling plate and a plurality of separator plates provided on thecooling plate at intervals; an upper cover hermetically connected withtops of the plurality of the separator plates; and a front cover plateand a back cover plate hermetically connected with front most andbackmost sides of the plurality of the separator plates respectively,wherein the cooling plate, the upper cover, the front cover plate, theback cover plate, and the plurality of separator plates are hermeticallyconnected to form a plurality of separate sealing spaces for receivingbattery cores and electrolytes therein respectively; and wherein mainflow channels are formed inside the upper cover and the cooling platerespectively, and branch flow channels are formed inside the separatorplates respectively, which are in fluid communication with the main flowchannels.
 14. The battery temperature managing system of claim 13,wherein the cooling plate includes a main outlet channel having acoolant outlet formed at an end of the main outlet channel, the uppercover includes a main inlet channel and a coolant inlet at a side of themain inlet channel facing away from the end of the coolant outlet; andeach separator plate includes a branch channel connected with the maininlet channel and the main outlet channel, and the coolant inlet and thecoolant outlet are connected with the coolant circulating circuitrespectively.
 15. The battery temperature managing system of claim 14,wherein the cross sectional area of the coolant inlet is smaller thanthat of the coolant outlet by about 10%-20%.
 16. The battery temperaturemanaging system of claim 15, wherein each battery core comprises a pairof electrode terminals extended out of each the sealing space, which areconnected in series, in parallel, or in series and parallel via metalplates.
 17. The battery temperature managing system of claim 16, whereinthe battery module further comprises a front panel provided at a frontside of the front cover plate which is fixed with the upper cover andthe lower shell body and a back panel provided at a back side of theback cover plate which is fixed with the upper cover and the lower shellbody, and a pair of electrode lead-out openings are formed at thelateral sides of the front panel for leading out the outmost metalplates.
 18. The battery temperature managing system of claim 17, whereinthe plurality of separator plates comprises: a first outer plate and asecond outer plate provided at the outer most sides of the coolingplate; and at least an intermediate plate between the first and secondouter plates, wherein the outer plates have a thickness greater thanthat of the intermediate plate.
 19. The battery temperature managingsystem of claim 15, wherein the front cover plate, the back cover plate,the upper cover, and the lower shell body are made of thermallyconducting materials.
 20. A vehicle comprising a battery temperaturemanaging system according to claim 1.